My Brother's Best Friend
by Prodigy X19
Summary: Katniss is convinced that what she feels for her brother's best friend, Peeta, is a simple crush, but the years and the distance don't lessen the longing. Seeing him again only serves to complicate her feelings; that maybe they could be more. But crushes are supposed to be one-sided and painful in the end. And what if her brother, Gale, ever finds out? AU, Everlark
1. Chapter 1

**So many ideas, not enough time. Please let me know what you think asap so that I can continue on the story. Like it always has been, a fav/follow/review will keep this going. My other story will be updated probably this weekend. **

**Like always, I don't intend any copying or plagiarism of any kind. I have just enough time to write and, unfortunately, have even less time to read some of the awesome stories that are posted on here or any other place. So if I'm taking your idea, that's not my intention. If you should feel that I've stolen something, please let me know just as quickly. Again, I'm just having some fun. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing; simply playing with the idea. **

* * *

Katniss didn't know when her crush on her brother's best friend started. Maybe it was when she was thirteen and he was almost fifteen. He sat with her after school while they waited for her brother to show up. Katniss remembers studying him while he drew the scenery around them. His straight blonde hair shined in the sun and when his beautiful blue eyes caught the light, she swore they changed colors. She had to swallow the heavy lump in her throat as she examined him. She never liked boys before; all her friends did. They talked about how cute so-and-so was but Katniss never felt inclined to participate in those conversations. But that one mundane moment with Peeta, had changed everything for her.

"Um…that's nice." Katniss compliments his picture.

"You think? I think I could have gotten more detail here." He points to the corner of the picture. "And maybe here." Peeta purses his lips as he eyes the picture.

"I think it's beautiful." He gives her a smile that takes her breath away.

"Thank you." He turns back to the drawing. He signs his name on the bottom and gives it to her. "Here. So when I become famous, you can tell them all how you knew Peeta Mellark first." Katniss reaches to take the picture and their hands touch. She snatches the drawing and blushes furiously at the small contact. She wasn't sure what was happening but it had never happened before. She was never uncomfortable with Peeta. He was always around and she was never scared of hanging out with him or Gale whenever they did something. But now, he just seemed so cute and handsome, Katniss wasn't sure how to act.

"Catnip!" They both turn their attention towards Gale. Katniss runs into his arm, hugging him tightly.

"What's up, bro?" Peeta and Gale do some complicated hand shake.

"You taking care of my sister?" Gale asks.

"When do I not?" He smiles at Katniss but she turns into Gale's shirt hoping that it hides her blush. "We going now?" Gale nods as they start the walk towards home. Katniss walks ahead of them. She plays her own little game of avoiding the cracks in the sidewalk as the boys walk behind her. Their loud laughing makes her turn and watch them. Again, she's so taken by Peeta that she hops too close to one of the cracks and loses her balance.

"Whoa!" Peeta's right behind her to catch her. "Almost broke your mom's back there." He tells her with a laugh. She can't fight off yet another blush. "You see, I always look out!" He looks back at Gale before he throws an arm around Katniss' shoulder and walks with her the rest of the way to her house. They did this all the time. She'd jump on Peeta's back for a ride, run to him for a hug just like she would Gale, wrestle, but now, the touching was making her feel weird and all the blushing couldn't be good for her.

When they finally reach her home, Katniss quickly kisses Peeta on the cheek and runs the rest of the way to her house. "Thank you, Peeta!" She yells back and disappears.

Once in the house, she throws all her stuff from school on the floor in her room and peeks through the curtains. Just outside, was Peeta, where she left him, and Gale laughing some more about who knows what. But Katniss' eyes don't leave Peeta. She wasn't sure what was happening but she knew who she could call to find out.

Katniss hops onto her bed and reaches for the phone. She dials the number and prays silently that someone picks up on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Jo? It's me, Katniss."

"You don't have to identify yourself to me…just talk."

"Okay. I wanted to talk to you about boys."

"Why?" Katniss hears her laugh at the other end.

"Because…I think I'm in love." Johanna laughs harder.

"You can't be in love, dummy! We're too young for that."

"Then what the heck is going on with me?! All of a sudden I like Peeta and I don't know why…"

"Oh! You have a crush!" She says in a singsong voice.

"A what?"

"A crush! You like Peeta and it feels like love but you just have a crush…you'll see, it won't last long."

"You think?"

"Yea. He's just nice to you and he cares about you and he's always around so, of course you like him. But he's too old for you anyway. He's like fifteen!" Jo laughs again.

"Okay…you're right. I'll get over it. Thanks Jo." Katniss hangs up the phone and goes back to staring at Peeta who was just about ready to walk the rest of the way to his house. She couldn't keep the smile that was forming off her face. He was too cute. "Just a crush." She tells herself.

* * *

Unfortunately, Katniss tried to tell herself that it was just a crush for the next three years.

"Just remember honey, Peeta's coming over to hang out with your brother. If they get too loud, take care of it. Okay, sweetie?" Her mother reminds her as she leaves for work. As soon as her mother was out the door, Katniss bolts for her room. She was currently decked out in sweats and a basketball t-shirt. Her outfit would not do for the love of her life.

Katniss curses at herself for thinking that way. Peeta was a senior at their school. He'd never be interested in a little baby sophomore like her. Even still, Katniss made every effort to dress to impress whenever Peeta was around. Just maybe, she could get his attention.

"What's up, buddy?" She can hear them downstairs already so she had to move quickly. Katniss checks herself over once more in the hallway mirror before running down the stairs to greet him.

"I ordered pizza already. What you say we start up our Call of Duty night with some practice matches?"

"Sure! Let's go." Peeta and Gale share a laugh before they head to the living room.

"Hi, Peeta!" He turns to look at Katniss who's standing on the third step of the stairs. He still looked unbelievably good and Katniss had to bite her lip as she looked him over.

Peeta was a lot taller now. He no longer had any baby fat on his face. It was tone and his jaw so masculine in it's sharpness. Not to mention, he was the captain of the wrestling team so his body was just as developed. How many times had Katniss gone to _support him_ by being at one of his meets? Plenty to know that he filled out his wrestling uniform in all the right places.

"Let me go say hi to your sister, bro." He looks to Gale, who waves him off, then turns back to Katniss with that same breath taking smile. "Hey Katniss!" Oh, and his voice dripped sensuality. He walks over to the stairs where Katniss proceeds to jump into his arms. "Whoa! Did you gain weight?" Katniss gasps in disbelief before joining in with his laughter.

"So, you guys are playing Call of Duty all night?" Peeta still has her in his arms as she looks down into his blue eyes.

"Yes we are. We finally have our entire clan together for one night." Katniss leans into him and hugs him tightly.

"Can I play?" She whispers seductively into his ear.

"You want to play?" Peeta asks.

"Oh no, Katniss! You suck!"

"Hey! I do not suck!" Little did Gale know that Katniss had been perfecting her skills at the game for this very night; for the night she could impress Peeta with her awesomeness. Peeta places Katniss down on the ground behind the couch. "You're just afraid that I'll kick your ass."

"Please! I'm afraid that you'll start crying again!" Gale says. Katniss grabs one of the couch cushions and launches it at his head.

"I don't cry! Besides who was the one who smashed the controller against the wall the last time? Sore loser, much?" Peeta laughs at their interaction.

"Come on, Gale. Our girl's talking a big game…you have to let her play. Even if it's just to save some face because you're getting served bro!" Peeta laughs as he playfully elbows Katniss.

* * *

Her plan was to let Gale win the first few games, but really, she still wasn't very good. Her idea of impressing Peeta was falling apart fast. Another idea quickly surfaces though and, hopefully, it would give her a chance to be close to Peeta.

"Damn!" She exclaims. "How do you throw a grenade again?"

"Shit, Katniss! Can't you remember anything?" Gale shouts. Katniss only sticks her tongue out at him.

"Shut up, Gale." Peeta defends. She turns to him with a smile. Peeta winks at her which makes her turn away to hide her blush. "R2." He tells her.

"Thank you, _Peeta_." She presses the button and it does as she wants. "Ooh, how do I crouch?"

"This one here…" He points out while grazing her hand.

"What about calling an air strike?"

"Geez man!" Gale shouts.

"Can you show me?" Katniss looks at Peeta who's sitting next to her with one arm casually laid out on the top of the couch. She leans into him and shoves the controller into his chest.

"Here." He says as he leans closer and wraps both arms around her. "Hands on the controller." She does as she's told. Peeta places his hands on hers and guides finger's motions. "Now…we're going to go after Gale." He whispers into her ear which makes her shudder in delight.

"That's him there…" She turns to look at him. Her lips are so close to his that all she'd have to do is lean in a couple inches.

"Mhm…" Katniss licks her lips again as she watches how entranced he is with the game. He helps her get into position in the game before he finally releases the hold he has on her hands. "Go for it."

"R2." She says to herself.

"What the fuck?!" Gale yells.

"Booyah! Kill that bitch!" Peeta laughs as Katniss happily throws her arms around him. She could have done that but then she'd never have had the opportunity to have Peeta so close. "That's my girl!"

"Fuck that! You cheated! You looked at my split screen! I want a rematch!" Gale shouts before he sets the game up again.

"You can take him." Peeta encourages.

"With your help, I'm sure I can!" She smiles at him.

* * *

Somewhere between then and now, Peeta and Gale had a falling out. Gale had come home angry and Peeta was never seen again. Katniss never knew why they had stopped being friends until this very moment.

"No…I don't believe that. Gale would never-" Katniss tells Johanna.

"Believe it, girl!" Johanna says as she gets more comfortable on her bed. "Your brother slept with _his_ girlfriend! That's why Peeta doesn't come around anymore! I mean… would you really want to hang out with your _friend_, who slept with your high school crush? I don't think so."

"It just doesn't seem like something my brother would do! Sleep with Peeta's girlfriend? Really?!"

"I know your brother and him don't talk anymore but have you thought about talking to him?"

"I don't know. Wouldn't that be like going behind my brother's back or something?"

"No! You were friends with Peeta too. Just because your brother and him aren't friends, doesn't mean that you two had to stop."

"But what would I say to him? I don't even know where he went to school."

"He goes to Montclair."

"How the hell do you know that?" Johanna shows Katniss her cell phone. It's Peeta's profile on Facebook.

"See? Right there - _goes to Montclair University_. Go see him."

"I can't!"

"Why not? Come on! It will be fun." Katniss scowls at her. "If anything, you can say you're there for his revenge."

"What revenge?"

"Come on! What better way to get back at the guy who slept with your girlfriend, then to sleep with his sister?" Johanna says with a laugh.

Katniss eyes go wide. "What?!"

"You've been in love with the boy since we were little girls!"

"Yea and it's just a crush." Katniss tries.

"Yea, five years later and you're still crushing. At this point, I think you need to fuck him and get it out of your system."

"Jo, that's not me! I can't go over there and be like, 'Hey, Peeta! I know we haven't talked in two years but we should have sex.' Come on! Not something I would ever do."

"You said you wanted to lose your virginity…who better to lose it to then the man of your wet dreams?" Katniss turns from her friend in thought. Maybe she could go see him and they could get reacquainted or something before she turned to just drastic measures. "Besides, he's a _college man,_ mad props for just doing it because of that!"


	2. Chapter 2

**It's crazy how the stories you think aren't going to get recognized are the first to peak. I'm ecstatic that people want to read this. As a bonus, this chapter is extra long, at least for my usual.  
**

**Like always, thanks so much for the support. It means the world to anyone on here writing anything. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing; just working with the idea. **

* * *

_"Katniss!" Peeta tries to fend her off as best he can. He's trying to frost a cake while Katniss reaches over his shoulders, trying to get to it. "Back off, will you?!"_

_"Just a taste!" She groans, struggling against him. He tries to stand tall but Katniss reaches down and tickles his side. He bends in that direction, trying to stop her, but it gives her a clear path to her goal._

_"Katniss!" He whips around to look at her. She backs away, as sexily as possible, and sticks her finger in her mouth._

_"Mmm." She moans at how delicious the frosting is. There's absolutely nothing innocent about what she's doing, though. Katniss has every intention of enticing him; the only question being if he'll finally take the bait._

_"Oh, do you like it?" He wipes his hands on a nearby towel before angrily tossing it down. He takes a few steps towards her until he's finally able to place his hands on either side of the counter she's backed herself into._

_"Mhm." Her eyes don't leave his; she doesn't dare lose the staring contest they have going at the moment. He was so close that the smell of his cologne was intoxicating. It would be just another piece to completing the puzzle that was her wet dreams filled of him._

_Peeta straightens up so his chest is to hers. He keeps his eyes on her still._

_"Peeta..." Yes, god! Her mind was screaming. This was it. This would be the moment that her dreams came true. But nothing ever went in her favor. Peeta reaches behind her and pulls back, a frosting spatula in his hand._

_"I'm glad you did because that's all you're getting!" He smiles cheekily at her before turning back to his cake._

_Once out of sight, Katniss covers her face with her hands and groans. She'd done everything right. Her v-neck tee dipped dangerously low, just barely covering up her assets and her booty shorts, according to Johanna, lifted her ass perfectly. Yet, Peeta hadn't even noticed. It really was too much to ask for Peeta to see her as something more than his best friend's dorky sister._

_Katniss looks up from her outfit. She stares at all the muscles in Peeta's back. She couldn't keep this up. He was going to kill her in the worst way possible. He turns his head suddenly, grins, then sexily winks at her._

_That was it. There would be no more fooling around. Katniss was just going to tell him and let him decide what happened after. She walks back over to him and places a hand on his back._

_"No." Peeta says. She pushes her chest out so it's touching his arm. She raises her hand up until it's gently playing with one of his sideburns._

_"Peeta-"_

_"Something smells delicious!" Mrs. Everdeen exclaims on her way into the kitchen. Katniss instantly takes a step away from Peeta. Her mother looks between her and Peeta suspiciously._

_"Hey, Mrs. Everdeen!" Peeta greets her._

_"Peeta." She continues to stare at them as she takes a seat. "What's going on?"_

_"I'm making cake!" He says with a smile. That wasn't what she wanted know. She looks at Katniss who tries to avoid all eye contact._

_"Where's Gale?" It wasn't that she didn't trust them but Mrs. Everdeen wasn't born yesterday. Whether Katniss knew it or not, she didn't do a very good job at hiding the fact that she liked Peeta; at least not in Mrs. Everdeen's eyes. It wouldn't be a horrible thing if something happened there but there was still this nagging fear that something could happen to her little girl; like letting her emotions get the best of her and ending up pregnant. At least with Gale around, that would never happen._

_Still, Peeta was always respectful; that or he just didn't know how Katniss felt about him._

_"That's what I would like to know." Peeta says with a laugh. "I've been texting him and he hasn't answered. So I decided to bake until he got back."_

_"Is that what smells so good?"_

_"Yep!" Peeta grabs the cake and places it down in front of her. "Can I serve you a piece?"_

_"Of course!" Katniss lets out a sigh._

_"Mom, don't you have something else to do?" She finally meets her mother's gaze. "Or somewhere to be?"_

_"Uh...no, not at all actually." She wasn't about to leave the two of them alone any longer. She grabs a nearby knife and cuts them all a slice._

_"Great." Katniss mutters under her breath. Now she would never be able to make a move with her mother in the room. So she pulls a seat across from her and finally takes a bite of her piece of cake._

_"Did Gale forget that you two were hanging out?" Mrs. Everdeen asks._

_"I think so." Peeta says._

_"Hm, that's not like him." It really wasn't. Gale would never forget that he was hanging out with Peeta. If there was anyone he never cancelled on, it was his best friend. "Maybe he's with his girlfriend." Peeta shakes his head._

_"Actually, he was supposed to hang out with me and Madge but she says he's not answering her calls either."_

_"Well, let's see if he doesn't pick up my call." Mrs. Everdeen says with a smile before heading upstairs to get her cell phone. It leaves them alone once again._

_"So..." Katniss starts. "If you guys were hanging out as couples, does that mean that..." She has to swallow the bile back. "Glimmer was going to be there?"_

_It took all of Katniss' strength when she found out that Peeta was officially dating Glimmer, the most popular girl at their high school. She hated her already and now, that she was dating her Peeta, Katniss wanted to murder her._

_Still, she had to know if Peeta was going to be spending time with her._

_"No, it was just going to be the three of us."_

_"Oh?"_

_"She has practice or something." Katniss laughs._

_"You don't know?" He shrugs._

_"That's what she said." Katniss squares her jaw and rolls her eyes. If she didn't mean for it to be seen, she didn't do it fast enough. "What?"_

_"Huh?" He nods in her direction._

_"That look. What was that for?" Katniss slaps her hands down on the table. She was going to start telling him the truth._

_"Why are you with her, Peeta?"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"If that's really what she said to you, then she doesn't care about you!"_

_"Katniss-"_

_"She doesn't deserve you, Peeta!" They're both surprised at her outburst._

_"You think so..." She nods._

_"Yes! If I was your girlfriend, I wouldn't want to spend a minute away from you! I'd call you all the time just because I want to hear your voice or something stupid like that! I wouldn't give you some bullshit excuse as to why I can't see you!"_

_"She's not trying hard enough?" Katniss shakes her head. "So then I should try harder."_

_"Yes! Wait, no! It's not you."_

_"No, no. I mean," Peeta starts. "A relationship takes two, right? I haven't exactly been the most attentive boyfriend either, have I?"_

_"Peeta, you're perfect the way you are." He smiles._

_"Thanks, but I think I'm going to take your advice." He stands from the table. Katniss stands too._

_"Peeta-" But he catches her off guard by hugging her tightly to him._

_"Katniss, you're the best friend a guy could have." He chuckles against her ear. "The perks of having a girl friend."_

_He was right. That's all they would ever be; this is as close as they would ever get. But, still, it hurt her heart to know the truth. Glimmer was his high school crush. According to Gale, he's liked her for a long while. Gale had stepped in to help his friend by setting them up, which also put her brother on her list of people to kill. It would be wrong to interfere in that, especially after she had first hand experience in crushing and heartbreak._

_"Glad I could help." Katniss gets out before swallowing back the tears. He pulls back from her and smiles._

_"Thanks. Say bye to your mother for me."_

_If she had known that would be the last time she would see him, Katniss would have told him everything._

* * *

With a groan, Katniss sits up in bed. Out of all the memories she had of Peeta, the last one she hated the most; but it was the one she remembered most often. It left too many questions unanswered.

She's probably analyzed every second of that moment. It was unhealthy she knew that but she couldn't help it.

Katniss grabs her backpack and tries to focus on the paper that was due the next day. She can't focus on it though. Her discussion with Johanna and the dream she'd had of Peeta were haunting her.

She slams her notebook closed and heads to the bathroom instead. She never stopped thinking about him. Never. Everything reminded her of Peeta, both good times and bad ones.

Maybe Johanna was right. Maybe she should go see him. Nothing had to happen. Katniss didn't have to proposition him with anything; they could just talk.

Her body is quick to react though at just the thought of him. It had been a long time now that her fingers were competent enough to please her. Thoughts of Peeta made her horny and her fingers weren't enough anymore. That wasn't healthy either. Maybe Johanna was right about more than just going to see him.

Katniss hangs her head before walking back into her room. She digs out her lucky half-dollar then takes a seat on her bed. She stares at it for a long time.

"Okay." She sighs. "Heads, I go. Tails, I stay."

* * *

Peeta has to open his eyes wide to keep from falling asleep from the most boring short story he had ever read. Thankfully, a knock on the door would serve as a necessary distraction.

"Coming!" He shouts as he throws a shirt on. He doesn't even bother looking through the peephole. It was probably just another girl looking for his roommate or worse, him.

"Hello, Peeta." His face goes through several emotions before he greets her.

"Oh my god, Katniss!" He instantly pulls her in for a hug. "It's so nice to see you." Peeta tells her as he squeezes her tighter.

"Yes, it is." He pulls back to look at her.

"Look at you! All grown up! How old are you now?"

"I'm seventeen, going on eighteen in a couple months."

"Wow! How the time flies…" He quickly turns and looks into his dorm. "You want to come in?" She smiles at him and nods as he steps out of the way.

"Your dorm is…unusually clean." Katniss tells him with a chuckle.

"Yea…my roommate is a neat freak and I like to keep clean too so it worked out." He leads her over to his room just in case his roommate came home for whatever reason. He pulls out the desk chair for her to sit and he takes a seat on his bed. "Katniss, what are you doing here?"

"What? Can't a friend come visit another friend nowadays?"

"Of course I don't mind you here, I was just wondering if there was any particular reason to your being here…"

"No reason. I just haven't seen you in a while." Peeta looks away from her.

"Yea, well, Gale and I aren't really friends anymore."

"I know…but what about me?" He turns back to look at her. "I thought you and I were friends." He reaches for her hand.

"We are. I'm sorry if you felt I abandoned you. I just…I couldn't look at Gale without wanting to kill him!" He growls. "I'm sorry."

"Are you still mad at him?" Peeta meets her eyes.

"Did he send you over here?" His voice raises. "Because if he did, you can go right back over there and tell him to fuck off!"

"He didn't send me. He doesn't even know I'm here. But I take it, by your response, that that's a yes." Peeta releases a long breath.

"I want to tell you I'm not mad but it still hurts. The betrayal is something I can't stand, Katniss! He was like a brother to me and for him to do that to me…I just can't…I'm not ready to _make nice._"

"Of course." She plays with the fabric of her jeans. "If my best friend had slept with my high school crush, I'm not sure if I'd be able to forgive them either."

"It's more the fact that he betrayed me that hurts." He shrugs. "He could have slept with her after, I don't care. But not while we were dating."

"Really?" Katniss asks. "But she was your crush." Peeta laughs.

"No."

"What do you mean?"

"She wasn't my crush, Katniss." Her face drops. _What the hell did he mean? _"At best, she was hot. I'll give her that much but...eh."

Katniss spent those months hating her. Partially hating Peeta for being with her. Part of her never fought for him because she _thought _she knew how he felt about her. Now, he was telling her he never felt anything for her?

"But Gale said you liked her." Peeta shakes his head.

"I said I liked _someone_. I'm not sure how Gale figured it was what's-her-face, but..."

"Glimmer." She says.

"What?"

"Glimmer." He laughs.

"Was that her name?" Katniss covers her face with her hands making Peeta laugh. If he didn't care, then why the hell did he ever try with her?

"If you don't even remember her name, why are you mad at Gale?" Peeta's face goes rigid.

"Because, Katniss, your girlfriend is sacred ground. There's a line there that you don't cross. Whether I liked her or not, is irrelevant. Gale should have respected that!"

"You're right, but I'm not here for an explanation." She squeezes his hand reassuringly which makes him smile. "I actually came here to ask you something…"

"Okay…" Katniss breathes in deeply and then releases it fully. She couldn't believe what she was about to do, but she wanted to and if she never asked, then she'd always have to wonder.

"I um…you know I'm almost officially a woman…" She curses at herself for her wording. Peeta laughs at that too.

"A woman…okay, go ahead…"

"Well, it wouldn't be official until I'm eighteen…and um…kind of…sort of…lost something…" Peeta nods along trying to figure out where she's going. "Peeta…I…"

"Hey." He pulls her hand to lead her over to sit next to him on the bed. "It's just me, Katniss. When have you ever been afraid to ask me anything?" She looks at him and his beautiful blue eyes have her captivated. There was no one else she'd want to share this with.

"Peeta, I want you to make me woman." He turns his head curiously at her. "I want you to take my virginity." His eyes go wide in realization.

"Huh…your _womanhood_…" He says to no one in particular. "But why me, Katniss? You're a very attractive young woman and I'm sure you have plenty of guys who would want to…"

"I've been fantasizing about the moment I lost _it_ for a while now and, for the longest time..." She swallows thickly. She wasn't sure if she should tell him how she felt. "The man in those fantasies...is someone I trust. Someone who knows me like nobody else." Her hand goes up to caress his cheek. "There's no one else I want to do this with." He looks to the floor and sighs heavily. "And if that doesn't appeal to you, Johanna told me to tell you that you should have sex with me to get back at Gale."

Peeta whips his head up to look at her with a big smile. He laughs for a moment before he too reaches for her cheek.

"I'd never use you in this war he and I have." She smiles at him. "I'll do it if you're sure that you're doing it for all the right reasons." She throws herself into his arms and pulls him tightly into her.

"Thank you." She whispers into his ear before she kisses the side of his head.

"No problem. Is there any particular day you wanted to do it?"

"Anytime is fine with me." She tells him as she bounces on his bed next to him.

"Anxious?" Peeta laughs. "Uh, well what about Friday? My roommate has an away game so he'll be gone all weekend." Katniss smiles at him. "Not that I intend to keep you for the entire weekend! I mean…sex will be a few minutes and then you're free to go…or stay…uh…" He scratches his head nervously. Katniss takes the opportunity to lean into him.

"Peeta?" He turns to look at her. She's only a couple inches away now. Katniss leans in the rest of the way and kisses him. He's shy and caught off guard initially, but he recovers quickly. His hand goes to the back of her neck, pulling her lips closer. His tongue caresses her bottom lip. Katniss opens her mouth so her tongue finally meets his. Peeta gently pushes her down so he's on top of her on his bed. She opens her legs for him so he can rest between them. Her hands roam the back of his neck and up into his hair. His one hand tilts her chin up while the other caresses her thigh. He innately grinds into her eliciting a lusty moan from her. Peeta snaps out of his daze and sits up on the bed.

"I'm sorry. I almost got carried away." He says breathlessly.

"Don't be." She assures him as she sits up next to him. "Excellent preview." They smile at each other.

"So, uh…Friday…" Peeta tells her.

"Yea. Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to get here."

"How'd you get here today?"

"Bus."

"Bus? That's a long ride!"

"I know but it was okay. I had plenty of time to figure out how to ask you to pop my cherry." They share another laugh.

It wasn't a lie either. Katniss had brought her half-dollar with her and flipped it the entire ride. After it had landed on tails the first time, she'd gone two out of three and so on. Halfway through the trip, she'd switched up the results; heads, she asked, tails, she didn't.

"Fine. Well, I'll take you home tonight."

"Peeta, it's okay."

"No, Katniss. I'll take you home." He lifts his hand to shush her. He didn't want to hear anything more. "As for Friday, I'll pick you up."

"You're going to come over? To my house?" Katniss is a little panicky.

"Gale's not going to be there, is he?" He asks as he pushes a stray hair behind her ear.

"Actually, yes. He's coming home this weekend. Why, I'm not sure."

"You still friends with..." He snaps his fingers, trying to jog his memory. "Johanna, right?"

"Yea..." She says with a nod.

"Oh, well, maybe you can tell your family that you're spending the night at Johanna's and I'll just pick you up at school."

"Already helping me figure out how to lie to my parents, huh? You're a bad influence."

"I know. I'm sorry, but how else am I going to get to see you?" He holds her gaze for what seems to be forever. He wanted to see her, the thought made her heart swell in happiness.

"Okay. I'll tell my mom and Gale that I'll be at Johanna's."

"I'll pick you up 2:30 on Friday and drop you off the next day."


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay...Well...**

**A couple of flashbacks and a warning: it's going down! (Though I shouldn't have to warn anyone; this is rated M for a reason).**

******This chapter is extra long; A token of gratitude and an apology for the long wait. **The response to this story is crazy. Like always, thank you to everyone who's been reading this. I'm trying to get updates up sooner but I didn't know how difficult that was going to be, working two stories at the same time and all. Either way, I'll get it done. 

**Disclaimer: I own nothing; simply working with the idea. **

* * *

She was giddy; super excited. Sure she was nervous, but she still couldn't wait. Her last class was right by the front of the building. She had already grabbed everything from her locker the period before so she could just leave once the bell rang.

About five minutes before class was over, Katniss has to do a double-take when she looks out the window. There was Peeta, decked out in a black suit with his dark sunglasses on to match. He leans against his car, his arms crossed as he waits for her. She wasn't sure why Peeta was dressed to kill, almost like her virginity was a formal event.

The bell rings and Katniss pretty much runs out of the classroom.

"Katniss!" She turns to look at who's calling.

"What, Jo? I have somewhere I have to be!"

"Since when do you have anything to do on the weekend?" Johanna asks incredulously.

"Since today! Now if you have nothing to say..." Katniss tries to leave but Johanna grabs her arm.

"Where are you going?"

"Geez, Jo! Can't I ever do something without you knowing about it?"

"Nope! What if you go missing or something? I am not going to be the last one who saw you alive! That's just asking for trouble."

Katniss sighs. Through all her excitement, she'd completely forgotten that Johanna was her cover; she kind of needed Johanna right now.

"Okay...first of all, if Gale or my Mom call you, I'm spending the night at your place."

"And why is that..." Johanna eyes her curiously. "Oh! _Where_ are you going?" She says with a wink.

"I'm going out. Okay? Is that enough? Great!" Once again Katniss turns to leave but Johanna pulls her back. "Come on, Jo! He's waiting!"

"_He_?! Who?!" She pries.

"Oh come on! You know. It was your idea after all." Katniss says before she rips her arm free and bolts for the door.

"No freaking way!" Johanna says as she runs after her.

* * *

"Hey!" Katniss greets him breathlessly.

"Hi." He says as he takes his sunglasses off.

"What's with the getup?" She grabs the edge of his jacket with a laugh.

"You think I'm just going to sleep with you tonight?" He smiles at her. "No ma'am! I'm throwing out all the stops! Now..." He turns and opens the door for her like a gentlemen. "_My lady_..."

She laughs at him. "Peeta I hate to tell you, but I'm a sure thing."

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I can't make it special." He smiles at her and winks before she takes her seat. Once he closes the door, she takes the opportunity to admire the luxury car she was in. It was a very expensive model and Katniss can only hope he hadn't spent so much on it just for her.

"You must be Peeta!" Katniss turns her head at the shrill voice of Johanna. Katniss tries to find the handle but she doesn't know where it is. Instead, she bangs on the window which gets Peeta's attention. He pulls the door open again and lets Katniss out.

"Johanna, what are you doing?"

"I can't meet your handsome escort for the night?" Johanna turns to Peeta with a big grin. "How are you Peeta?"

"He's fine. Now, can you go away?" Katniss hisses at her.

"After I talk to him..." Both girls glare at each other, the only thing that breaks them apart is Peeta clearing his throat.

"It's okay." He assures Katniss. He opens the car door for her again and Katniss climbs in. She watches Johanna drag him a few feet away. She says something, Peeta nods, there's some more glaring, and Peeta backs off some. Johanna smiles at him finally and walks away. Peeta makes his way into the car with a big smile.

"So I take it she didn't scare you away?" Katniss asks.

"Nope. She's a good friend."

"What did she say?"

"Don't worry…I promise to abide by all of her rules." He says with a laugh. He turns the car on and starts to drive.

"Peeta, this isn't the same car as the other night…"

"I know."

"You didn't have to rent out this car."

"I didn't. It's…a _company_ car." He decides.

"What kind of job gives you this kind of car to use?"

"The kind where your dad is the boss…" Katniss looks at him. She'd forgotten that his father was a big shot business man which meant that Peeta's family had money and a lot of it.

"Oh. How is your dad?"

"He's good." Katniss continues to look at him but then she looks at herself.

"Peeta, where are we going? I'm not dressed for whatever it is that we're doing…"

"That's okay. You don't need to be dressed up. Where we're going…it's special to me. And hopefully to you." He hints.

After about a fifteen minute drive, Peeta pulls onto a dirt road, surrounded by trees.

"Where are we?" Katniss asks.

"You don't remember?" He says as he gets out of the car. She follows, walking slowly to his side of the car. "Come on." He extends his hand out for her to take. She takes it and they continue down a small trail. They finally reach a hill that overlooked the city.

"Oh my god…I didn't think you remembered this place…" Katniss tells him as she looks the place over.

"How could I ever forget?" He says as he stands a couple of feet behind her.

_Flashback. _

"_Come on, Peeta!" An eight year old Katniss pulls on his arm. _

"_I don't know…Gale said to stay over there…" He says hesitantly. _

"_Do you always do what you're told? Come on!" She grunts as she pulls him where she wants. _

"_If we get in trouble, I'm telling Gale it was your fault."_

"_Whatever. I'm not afraid of Gale." She tells him. They finally reach their destination and Peeta is overwhelmed by the view. _

"_Wow!" Peeta says amazed. _

"_Isn't it…" She tells him as she looks up at him. They weren't that different in height but she still had to look up to see him. Peeta looks down at her with a big smile. "Hey, you want to wrestle?" Katniss asks __while simultaneously __push__ing__ him. _

"_Hey!" He says as he falls to the floor. "Oof!" He lets out when Katniss climbs on top of him. She quickly goes for the chokehold and has Peeta tapping out almost instantaneously. "I give!" He tries. _

_Peeta lays on his front, breathing heavily, while Katniss lays on his back. _

"_I can't see your face." She tells him as she runs her hand up his forehead to push away the stray hairs. Peeta turns around so she's laying on his front instead. _

"_Better?" He asks. Katniss stares into his eyes for the longest time. "What?" He asks. _

"_Why are your eyes so blue?" She asks curiously. _

"_Um…My mom and dad I guess…" _

"_But how does that happen? Your eyes are blue but mine are brown…" _

"_Hm…well, I once asked my parents where babies come from and why they look so different-" _

"_And?" Katniss interrupts. _

"_They said it all starts with a kiss." _

"_What?" She chuckles. _

"_Daddy said that he kissed mom and the next thing he knew, I was born." Katniss' eyes go wide. _

"_So you're saying that if we kiss, we'll have a baby?" _

"_Idontknow." He says with a shrug. _

"_Hey!" She hits him to get his attention. "What if we kissed and maybe I get blue eyes?" _

"_Eww! Kissing is yucky!" Peeta tells her as he turns his head away in disgust. _

"_No it's not! My mom says I'm the best kisser!" _

"_Eww!" He tries to shimmy away from her but Katniss holds him tight. _

"_No! I want to kiss you!" _

"_No!" Peeta yells. "Cooties!" Katniss wraps her small arms around his neck. Peeta flails but it's useless. Katniss was insanely strong and she was going to win. Peeta groans until finally Katniss holds his face still. Her lips meet his making Peeta's eyes widen in shock. She ends the kiss with an audible 'pop' and Peeta is finally able to get free. "Yuck!" He says as he wipes away the 'germs' with his sleeve. _

"_Are my eyes blue?" She crawls up to him and lets him look. _

"_Mmm, no!" Katniss looks away disappointed, but Peeta grabs her face. _

"_What?" _

"_Your eyes...They're not brown." _

"_Really?" She asks excitedly. _

"_Yea. They're...grey?" He asks. "But not blue. What a waste!" _

"_So, I'm a good kisser, right?" _

"_Your cat kisses better." He jokes but Katniss takes it personally and wrestles him to the ground. _

Peeta wraps his arms around her waist and rests his head on her shoulder. "That was a long time ago…" He whispers.

"Yea…" She says as he rocks her slowly.

"You think I can get a redo?" Katniss laughs.

"Why don't you ask Buttercup?" She says with a smirk.

"Come on…I'm sorry. I was ten, Katniss. Girls were yucky and had cooties." He says which makes her laugh again.

"I still have cooties…" She challenges.

"The difference is, now, I want them." Peeta whispers seductively into her ear. She turns in his grasp to look at him.

"I swear, if you make one joke about how I kiss-"

"As long as you don't make any about how _I_ kiss…" Katniss wraps her arms around his neck. She can't help but look at his lips. She licks hers in anticipation, then leans in and Peeta meets her the rest of the way. His lips mold over hers slowly, almost like they were two pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly together. The other night, their kiss had been heated, rushed. Now, it was slow and sensual. It was like something out of a dream for Katniss. She'd dreamt of this moment for so long and now that it was happening, it was better than she could have hoped for. The kiss was sweet and simple; Katniss couldn't have asked for anything more perfect.

"Well Peeta, do you have something you want to say?" Katniss asks.

"I think you're better than the cat now." He laughs and pulls her in tightly before she can respond with any violence. "I brought some food for us, if you want to eat."

"Okay." She's still in a slight daze from their kiss. She watches him walk to the trunk of the car and pull something out. Katniss smiles as she watches. One way or another, tonight was going to be a great night.

* * *

"Don't talk about that!" Katniss shouts.

"Why not? You're the one who started us on this _reminiscing _road. It's only fair that I get mine in too." Katniss turns to him and shoves him through the door of his dorm.

"We promised we'd never talk about that!" She tries to be serious but she bursts out in laughter.

They'd been remembering their childhood most of the night. It was all fun, at least for Katniss because she was reminding Peeta of all the stupid things he did when he was younger. But now, their game had taken a turn for the worse when Peeta decided to remind her of her own childhood naivety. It was only fun if she was in control, but now that Peeta had taken the reigns, she wasn't too fond of what he could possibly bring up.

"Hmm…" Peeta taps his chin in thought. "I remember-" Katniss' hand comes down over Peeta's mouth.

"Don't say another word." She warns. Peeta rips her hand away and starts to pace the common area of his dorm.

"I remember a time…" Katniss tries to stop him but he fights her off easily. "When we were little-"

"Peeta!"

"And _somebody_," he points to her. "Decided it would be an excellent idea to wear a skirt…"

"That wasn't my idea!" She growls as she jumps on his back.

"And then, it was extra windy…" Her hands cover his face making Peeta laugh. "And her skirt flew up. She tried to play it off, which she did, rather spectacularly but then-"

"Stop it!" She growls.

"The back of the skirt got caught in your underwear and-"

"And you saw my ass! There? You happy! You were a pervert back then too!" Peeta pulls her over his shoulder so she crashes on his bed. He crawls over her, trapping her arms with his hands.

"And it was a sweet ass. Even back then." He whispers into her ear. He ghosts his lips over her ear then continues to her cheek.

"You didn't look at me like that back then. Did you?" Katniss asks softly.

"Well, not at that age, no." He trails one of his hands down the side of her body. "But now…you're all grown up."

"I am." She raises one of her free hands and runs it through his hair.

"You still sure you want to do this? Because you could probably let _it _run it's course. I'm sure you won't be a virgin for that much longer…"

Katniss wasn't sure how could she could tell Peeta that for the longest time, he's the only one that's been on her mind. Her dreams and fantasies had been filled with only thoughts of him. This is where she wanted to be; in his arms, with him kissing her, and more.

"I'm sure." She tells him.

"Well, then…" Peeta says as he sits up in bed. "How do we start this?"

Katniss sits up next to him. "I don't know. You're the expert."

"Right." He says softly. He turns to look at her but she's looking everywhere but at him. Peeta reaches for her chin, turning her to look at him. "I want to kiss you."

"Okay." It's all she can think to say before he slowly leans into her. Their lips meet in a soft, almost shy, kiss. Kissing each other was still new to them, but they had no problems taking their time to explore. Peeta's other hand comes off the bed to caress her thigh.

"Is this okay?" He asks.

"Yes." It comes out breathless before both her hands pull his face to hers for a heated kiss. Katniss' hands are all over the place. She doesn't know whether to go for his belt or see what his upper body looks like. She decides he's wearing too much clothes and starts with his suit jacket. She rips his tie off then starts to unbutton his shirt.

"Eager?" He whispers against her lips. Peeta had no idea just how eager she was. It wasn't just for the sex but for the experience that could be Peeta. She wanted to remember his touch, his kisses, the sounds he makes, everything. If this was only one night, a one time thing, Katniss never wanted to forget.

"Um…" She stops for a moment. "Should I take some of my clothes off?"

"Yea…yes!" Peeta says a little too eagerly; his emphatic nodding doesn't help either. Katniss pulls her shirt over her head and quickly pulls off her pants. She crosses her arms over her breasts shyly. She turns her eyes up to meet his but his eyes are glued to her bare body. Peeta swallows heavily as he looks over her exposed legs, up her stomach, and to the V of her bra. He does a double-take between her body and her eyes when he catches her watching him stare at her. "Uhh…" Peeta scratches the back of his neck anxiously. "You…look…good." He nods slowly.

"Thank you." Katniss says with a blush. Peeta stands and takes his pants off before he sits back next to her. Her eyes turn to the bulge in his boxer briefs. "You look good too." She gestures with her head at the bulge but then she quickly turns away with a stammer. "I uh…I mean…not that I see anything other than…or…" Peeta smirks at her before he breaks out in a chuckle.

"I get it." He says softly.

"Geez, why is this so awkward?" Katniss asks.

"Because it's you and me…" He says. Peeta leans towards her and places a kiss behind her ear. "Because it's something _we've _never done…" He kisses her cheek. "Because of what we mean to one another…" Katniss turns to look at him. His lips linger inches from hers and Katniss can't control her desire to kiss him anymore. She hops onto his lap and begins to make out with him. She feels his hardness on her behind so she pulls back to look at him.

"I think you're ready." She tells him with a smile.

"Yea…but are you?" He raises his eyebrows suggestively at her which makes her narrow her eyes at him curiously. Before she can even ask what he means, Peeta quickly flips them so she's lying flat on her back with him on top. His hands run down her sides until they reach her underwear. "Can I take these off?"

"Peeta, can you just pretend that I'm any other girl and stop asking me if everything is okay?"

"You want me to pretend like you're any girl?" She nods. "Okay…but you're not…" He tells her before he pulls her underwear off. He captures her lips in a passionate kiss. "Take your bra off." He whispers against her lips. Katniss struggles with the task as Peeta's weight on top of her is welcome, but makes it difficult.

"Wait," She pushes him off her some, enough to pull her bra off. Her hands cover her now bare breasts which makes Peeta smirk at her.

"Come on." He taps her crossed arms. "You're young. They're perky enough." Peeta laughs in an attempt to lighten the mood but she's not buying it.

"Yea, but they're not big." Katniss turns her head towards her arms but Peeta raises her chin up to meet his gaze.

"When have I ever been a breast man?" He says with a smile. She smiles back at him.

_Flashback_

"_Did you see the titties on the new girl?" Katniss groans. This is what she comes home to; her brother shamelessly talking about some girl. _

"_Gale, come on." Peeta's deep voice makes Katniss smile. She dreamily leans against the frame of the front door fantasizing about him when she suddenly realizes what they're talking about. _

"_What, bro? Come on...tell me I'm wrong! Tell me that's not the first thing you saw when she introduced herself!" Katniss scowls suddenly. She had the right mind to slam the front door closed and march over there. She'd make her presence known and slap the back of her brother's big head for, not just talking about women like that, but talking to Peeta about them. _

"_I really don't want to talk about this girl's..." He clears his throat. "Her breasts, okay?" Leave it to Peeta to always be a gentlemen. Everything he did, or said, only added to his appeal. But Katniss can't keep fantasizing when Gale breaks out in boisterous laughter. _

"_God, man! I love how you're so pure!" _

"_Look, you can say whatever you want about me. You know...my father taught me better." _

"_Oh well, I didn't have a father so I guess I wouldn't know." _

"_That's not what I mean, Gale. It's just...I was raised to respect a girl." He sighs. "My father always taught me to talk about girls...as if they were my daughter. Would I want a guy to talk about my daughter's titties? Hell no! So, I'm not going to talk about females like that." Peeta informs. _

"_Whatever, man!" _

"_Hey! Would you want me to say something about Katniss' titties?" A hand slams the table. _

"_Watch it." Gale says. _

"_My point exactly! Don't talk about a girl like that and expect me to just sit here all pure-like." _

"_Fine." There's a silence. Katniss thinks now would be the opportune moment to finally make her way into her house. "But did you see her...mammary glands?" Peeta breaks out in a fit of laughter while Katniss drops her head in shame. _

"_Okay...yea, I saw them." _

"_And?" Peeta shrugs. _

"_I'm not really a breast man." _

"_Why do I even talk to you about this, Peeta?!" _

"_Not sure." _

"_Well...what do you like?" Gale asks. At this, Peeta has Katniss' full attention. _

"_A nice face doesn't hurt but..." He thinks for a moment. "I guess I like a girl's lips." _

"_Her lips?" Gale questions. "Really?" Peeta nods. "So you want Jay-Z lips on a girl..." _

_Meanwhile, Katniss stands in the corridor, her hand touching her lips. She didn't have the fullest lips. No wonder Peeta didn't spare her a second glance. _

"_I'm not saying that but other then a girl's eyes, I see her lips. When I see them, I want to WANT to kiss them." Gale nods. _

"_Okay...fair enough. But when you see a girl, that's 'all' you're looking at?" _

"_Well, I can say that I definitely appreciate the summer." _

"_Beach bods?" Katniss makes a mental note to purchase a bikini and wear it around Peeta. _

"_No...I like..." But he stops talking. Katniss strains against the wall, trying to hear what he's trying to say. _

"_Don't go shy on me now!" _

"_Don't laugh." Gale shakes his head. "I like legs." She hears Gale have to hold back his laughter. Peeta shoves his friend away. _

"_What? It's just...legs?!" _

"_Never mind." _

"_No, no! Explain..." _

"_Explain?" Gale nods. "I don't know. Something about seeing a girl's legs, long, tan, with a subtle sheen from her fruity-tuity lotion..." Peeta shudders. "It get's me going." _

_Katniss looks down at herself and praises her luck. Sure enough, she was in shorts. Now to dig out her lip gloss and the lotion from her backpack. _

"_You're so weird." Peeta simply waves him off. The front door slams closed and the guys go back to doing their homework. _

"_Hey guys!" Katniss greets loudly. _

"_Sup!" Gale says while Peeta simply smiles and nods in her direction. She inwardly groans when he goes back to looking at his notebook. _

"_Geez! It's so hot outside! It's a good thing I wore shorts today." Katniss tries. This gets Peeta's attention. His eyes turn downwards to look at her legs. _

"_Speaking of which, are those even school legal?" Gale asks. _

"_What?" Katniss looks down. "They're not even that short!" _

"_You should still probably go upstairs and change." Katniss scowls. _

"_Peeta, are they that short?" His mouth drops for a moment but he quickly closes it. _

"_Uh..." But Gale saves him. _

"_Doesn't really matter what he has to say. 'I' said they're too short." _

"_And who are you?" Katniss throws. _

"_Katniss," Gale stands now. "Go upstairs and change." _

"_And what are you going to do?" When he reaches for her, she jumps back. They're both running around the table like little kids while Peeta just sits there. "Peeta!" His attention is to Katniss and the moment she falls into his lap. "Protect me!" He's sitting there, completely stunned while Gale stands there and stares at them. _

"_Okay...Gale, chill!" Peeta's voice booms. He turns to Katniss, who sits in his lap with a big smile on her face. "Katniss?" _

"_Yes, Peeta?" _

"_Can you do me a favor and go change, please?" _

"_Mmm, for you? Okay!" She pops up but not before making good and sure that she purposely rubs herself tortuously against Peeta. _

"_You better go change." Katniss whips around to look at her brother. _

"_Oh, I'm going to go change alright." But she came back with an even skimpier pair of shorts. It had Gale and Katniss at each other's throats while Peeta could only sit there, face in his hand while the two went at it. _

"_Katniss!" _

"_How about you kiss my ass!" _

"_How about I kick it!" _

"_Why don't you try!" And it went on like that for a good fifteen minutes until Katniss threw a book at Gale's head and stormed into the kitchen. _

"_Bro, I'm going to go to the corner store. I can't deal with her right now!" Gale himself storms out of the house. Peeta sighs before getting up to find Katniss. _

"I remember. You were always weird that way…" She quirks her head at him. "You liked lips and legs."

Peeta bites his lip as he looks her over. "I like my L's. A delicious set of lips." He kisses her deeply before his hand grasps her thigh, running it up and down. "And a pair of long luscious legs. I could care less about breasts."

"You and your words." She says before she throws her arms around his neck. They continue kissing for a while longer until Katniss rips her lips from his. She can't keep kissing him at the feeling of Peeta's fingers slipping through her folds. "Peeta…" She moans.

"Oh, you are so ready for me." He whispers into her ear. He pulls back, supporting himself with one arm, so that he can pull his boxer briefs down. Katniss' eyes, of course, can't avoid looking at him exposed. She'd never seen one outside books.

Peeta throws his underwear somewhere in the room before he looks up her body and smiles. "What?" She asks.

"You have beautiful breasts by the way." Katniss smiles back at him as she watches him reach for a condom and slips it on. He leans over her once more and kisses her again. Peeta lowers his head to her breasts, placing kisses on them. "They are very nice." He says once more before he sucks on one of them.

"Oh Peeta!" She moans. Her hands caress the back of his head. Her massaging gets harder when she feels Peeta's tongue swirl over her erect nipple. He moans against her and Katniss' eyes roll to the back of her head. If that felt so good, how was actual sex going to feel?

Katniss gets a preview when Peeta grip his erection then rubs the tip against her clit. "Katniss…" He says into her skin as he trails his kisses to her jaw.

"Peeta…" She moans before she throws a leg around his waist.

"I've dreamt about this for so long…" He continues. Katniss' eyes open at his remark. She was sure she was the one who was dreaming at the moment. There was no way that he felt that way about her; it just wasn't possible. Katniss was the one with the crush and awkwardness around him growing up. Peeta was always the cool one who never paid her any mind; at least not like that. It just couldn't be that they'd both always felt similar and neither one of them noticed.

"Peeta…"

"Katniss, I'm going to go ahead now and-" She nods frantically in response. "It's going to hurt." She nods again, slower this time. With a final nod, Peeta thrusts fully into her. Katniss let's out a small whimper and Peeta stills instantly. "It's okay." He kisses the crook of her neck. "We can stop if you like."

"No." She tells him. "Just give me a minute." He lays there, still, waiting for her to give him the green light. After awhile, he feels Katniss running her nails across his back.

"Katniss?"

"Hmm?" She asks as she looks between them to where they're joined.

"What are you doing?" He asks as she continues to scratch his back.

"I'm just checking to see what kind of support Peeta Mellark provides…" Katniss tells him with a smile.

"Katniss, you're not going to need it."

"Well, you're just going to have get moving for me to find out."

"Alright then." Peeta pushes himself up to support himself on his strong arms. He starts with slow, deep thrusts. Her hands wraps around his forearms as she lets out a low moan after every thrust. "You like that?"

"Yes." She moans.

"You want it harder?" He says between placing kisses on her neck.

"Can you do that?" She asks and Peeta only smiles.

"Faster too?"

"Okay." Katniss says as she tries to kiss him back but as his speed picks up and his thrusts are hitting her just right, her kisses are lazy and miss their mark. She leaves wet, open kisses all over his face, neck, and chest, not that Peeta minds.

"Throw your other leg around my waist." He orders and she's too caught up in moment that she doesn't argue. The new position opens her up further to him and it just feels too good for Katniss to relent from more moaning.

"Peeta…" Katniss tries to keep her eyes open to look at him but the sensation is too much. Her eyes close and she bites her lips in an attempt to stifle her moans.

"Tell me what you want…" He's breathless now too as he gets closer to his goal.

"It…it feels good…" Peeta chuckles softly.

"That's good…it's…supposed to feel that way…" His eyes close tightly before he lets out a low groan. He readjusts his arms to thrust harder and faster into her.

"Oohh…" Katniss' hands go to his back now, where her nails dig into his skin.

"Is that the best you got?" He asks and Katniss chuckles. She squeezes her legs around him tighter and does the same with her arms. Their bodies are pressed together as closely as possible. At their pace, their bodies are covered in sweat in a couple of minutes. The slickness of their bodies is the least of their concerns as Katniss feels an inner tingling coursing it's way through her body.

"God, Peeta…Don't stop!" Peeta growls into her neck and picks up his pace. Katniss' breathing is heavy against his neck. Her breaking point comes when Peeta grasps her behind. He squeezes her tightly before he pushes her hips roughly into his. Put together with his thrusts, Katniss forgets she's not muffling sound into a pillow and bites down. Peeta groans at the feel on her teeth on shoulder. He thrusts impossibly fast as he tries to get to her level of satisfaction.

"Katniss!" With a final, very masculine groan, Peeta reaches his climax. He uses one arm to push himself completely out and off of her to lay down next to her.

"Is it hot in here or is it just me?" Katniss asks between breaths.

"It's both." He turns to her with a smile. She smiles back as she reaches her hand out to touch the angry mark on his shoulder.

"Sorry about this." Peeta covers her hand with his.

"Never apologize to me about a sex-related injury." She leans over and kisses the spot where she'd bit down. "How are you feeling by the way?"

"It hurt in the beginning but that's it. It was all worth it." She tells him.

"I have to tell you, if I hadn't actually felt it for myself, I would have never believed you were a virgin." He says.

"Why's that?"

"Katniss, what we just did…it was so incredibly good. I've never had such amazing sex in my life!"

"Me too." Peeta looks at her with a serious face which makes her laugh. "Okay, so it was my first time! But still, it was great for me too." Katniss cuddles into him.

"I hope it was everything you fantasized about…" He says as she places a lazy kiss in her hair. Katniss lets out a sigh. It was so much more. She suddenly remembered his earlier statement, how apparently it was his dream too.

"What did you mean by how you've dreamt of this for so long?" Katniss asks. She doesn't get a response so she turns to look at him. Peeta was fast asleep under her. She lets out another sigh before she rests her head back down on his chest. To her disappointment, it probably meant nothing and it probably would never.


	4. Chapter 4

**Once again, thanks so much to everyone who's favs/follows/reviews; It means the world. A big thank you to my new beta, Everlarkcheesebuns, who does the stuff I hate to do. So thanks again to everyone. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, just working with the idea. **

* * *

The sun was shining through the window. Peeta and Katniss had long lost count of what round they were currently on, even so early in the morning. They only had a little over an hour left before she had to be home.

"I…am…so…sorry…about…your…back…" Katniss breathlessly tells him as she crashes into the pillows. Peeta leans over and kisses the back of her neck.

"What…did…I…say…about…apologizing?"

"Is it okay…that we've…done it like…a thousand times?" She asks as she turns to face him.

"You're exaggerating…Katniss." He turns them so she's lying on his chest once more. "It was more…like a hundred." He says with a smile.

"But it's okay?" She asks, her grey eyes looking into his blue ones.

"We should be alright. I put on a new condom every time. It's never failed me. We'll be fine." He kisses her forehead in reassurance.

"But what if I'm pregnant Peeta? What do we do then?"

"I'll marry you and then we can have all the babies we want." Katniss smacks his chest and Peeta laughs.

"I'm serious! What if I'm pregnant?!"

"Katniss, you're not!" He rubs her arm comfortingly. "But if you are…I'll take care of you, Katniss. Whatever you decide, keep it or not, I'll be there. You know I'm good for it." She knew he would be. For one, he had money to take care of their child. Secondly, Katniss knew that Peeta was always good with children. He'd even confided in her that one day, he wanted to get married and have children. Them being with her was probably not on his agenda. "Katniss, if you're that worried, they have tests that can check you out. Hell, I'll even go with you to get birth control if you want…"

"You'd do that? Come with me to the doctor?" Peeta meets her eyes.

"Of course." He kisses her again and Katniss deepens it.

"Mmm," she moans into him. "You think we can go again?" Peeta lets out a sigh as he rests his forehead against hers.

"I'd love to, but you and I have used my entire inventory of condoms."

"You didn't restock in anticipation?"

"Katniss, that was a brand new pack! I didn't know that you were going to be so hot for me otherwise I would have went wholesale." She chuckles into his chest.

"Next time." She assures.

"So…there's going to be a next time?" He asks with raised eyebrow.

"I uhh…didn't mean…" She was blushing now.

"I'd love it if there was a next time." Peeta tells her and it instantly calms her. "But right now, I have to take you home." He stands and starts to get dressed. "You can use the shower if you like." Katniss grabs some clothes from the bag she brought with her. Before she showers, she walks over to Peeta a kisses him deeply.

"Thank you, Peeta."

* * *

"Peeta, drop me off a block away." Katniss tells him.

"Hell no! Besides, my windows are tinted. No one's going to see me anyway." He pulls up to the front of her house.

"But Gale-" Peeta cuts her off with a kiss.

"I'll deal with it. Why are you more worried about him than your mom?"

"Because my mom doesn't come home until later, but Gale's probably already waiting for me."

"Hmm, so did he tell you why he's home?"

"No." She starts but she's too preoccupied with his swollen lips. Katniss leans in and kisses him passionately. "I hope Gale's not looking out the window…"

"I told you, the windows are tinted. I could have sex with you right here and no one's going to see what's going on." He tells her before he kisses her again.

"Alright, but how do I explain a Bentley outside my house?" She says before massages his abs.

"It's a Maserati actually."

"Whatever!" Katniss exclaims before she throws her arms around him and sticks her tongue in his mouth. "Okay!" She pulls herself away from him as far as she can go in his car. "I have to go!"

"What are you doing for your birthday?" Peeta asks as he caresses her cheek.

"Johanna wants to throw me a surprise party."

"Am I invited?"

"I'd love for you to come, but what if Gale comes?" Peeta sighs. He wasn't going to like this sneaking around, exclusively behind Gale's back.

"I still want to see you." He admits. "I want to go out with you."

"Yea?" Katniss asks with a big smile. Peeta nods.

"Anywhere you'd like to go? Food…fun…movies-"

"Movies!" She exclaims. "I'm going to the movies with Johanna in a couple weeks when that new superhero movie comes out."

"You want to make it a date?" She nods eagerly. "Okay. Text me when, and I won't miss it." Katniss kisses him once more.

"Buy more condoms." She says as she opens the door to his car.

"I will. I'll call you later." Peeta grins at her with that perfect smile and Katniss has to bite her lip to keep from saying something inappropriate or kissing him again. She slams the door shut, turning with a delightful shudder towards her house. Katniss unlocks her front door and waves goodbye before she walks in and he finally pulls away.

"Nice car." Gale says with a whistle. Of course he was watching; he's always on the look out for anything out of the ordinary. "What? Did Johanna's family hit the lotto or something?"

"Uh…her father is having a mid-life crisis. Johanna's mom is having him return it." Katniss shrugs to herself. When had she become such a good liar? "Well, I'm going to get some sleep."

"What? Didn't you just come from a sleepover?" Gale asks.

"Yes…but everybody knows you don't sleep at a sleepover." Katniss starts to climb the stairs.

"So what did you do?"

"None of your business. It's girl code for you never to find out." She tries the stairs again when the front door opens.

"Hello Gale." Her mom greets him before she see's Katniss on the stairs. "Good morning Katniss."

"Mom, what are you doing home so early?" Katniss asks.

"I worked a few extra hours yesterday so I could get off early. What are you two doing up so early?"

"I just got home." Katniss says. "And Gale-"

"Actually…I'm glad you two are here because I have something I have to tell you…" Gale starts.

"Okay…do I have to stay?" Katniss asks but she gets her answer when Gale glares at her. "I take that as a yes…" She huffs before she trudges down the stairs and to the living room couch.

"Gale?" Their mother asks.

"Okay…I'm on academic probation." Katniss' eyes go wide as she looks between their mother and Gale. "So, I can only take two classes in the upcoming semester and I can't live on campus until my grades are up."

"Um…why are you on academic probation? I've seen your report cards…" Their mom says.

"Yea…they weren't exactly real. I had a guy forge them." Katniss has to drop her gaze towards the floor. She wanted to laugh because all those years of her mom praising Gale, his good grades, his positive attitude towards school, and the constant reminder - Oh, your brother this and your brother's grades. Katniss had never been the model student; mediocre at best. Now, the truth was surfacing and Katniss couldn't help but feel good about it, as bad as it was for her brother.

"Oh Gale…So then why are you home early? There's still a month and a half of the school year left."

"I figured, I failed so I'd come home and tell you so you could decide if I can stay here."

Katniss knew her mother wouldn't turn Gale away but another predicament, at least for her, came to mind. If Gale was always around, how could she see Peeta? She let out a deep breath which, unfortunately, made the rest of the family look at her.

"I…um…I'm surprised by the news, is all…" Katniss clarifies.

"Katniss? Will you please excuse your brother and myself? We have some things to discuss…" Katniss nods before she heads to her room. She's putting her stuff away when her cell phone rings.

"Hello?"

"So, how big was it?" Katniss rolls her eyes as she listens to her friend.

"Jo!" She growls into the phone.

"What? I want to know. How big was it and did he know how to use it?" Katniss quickly scrambles underneath the covers on her bed.

"Well, I've never actually seen one before last night..."

"Okay...but was it like a popsicle or baby banana?" Katniss can't help the smile that graces her face. Johanna had no qualms on what she asked or how she did it.

"I'm assuming the popsicle is the good one?"

"Yes!" Johanna yells.

"Well..." Katniss pauses, knowing the silence would kill her friend.

"Will you just tell me?! You know about my boyfriends!"

"Which I never asked you for, by the way."

"I don't care!" Johanna says through her teeth. "I'm your friend!"

"I mean, I didn't have time to measure it."

"Katniss..."

"Okay, okay." She ducks under the covers of her bed. "If the popsicle is good..."

"Yea..."

"Then he was great." She whispers. Johanna can't contain her screech, forcing Katniss to bury her head into the pillow to drown out the sound.

"And…how was it?"

"So good!" Johanna giggles on the other end.

"I am so jealous!" Johanna exclaims. "So are you going to keep seeing him?"

"He wants to…I'm just hoping it isn't all just for the sex…"

"Oh, Katniss…"

"What?"

"You are so in love."

"What?! No…I'm just…"

"You're not crushing anymore. You love him. You already knew he was a great guy…sex was just the missing piece to the puzzle."

"He's funny too. And smart…" Katniss says in thought.

"You see-"

"Okay! Whatever!" Katniss dismisses her. Whether she was or she wasn't, she didn't want to think about it right now. Peeta didn't feel that way and she didn't want to build her hopes up. "The bad news?"

"Uh oh. What is it?"

"Gale's sticking around so I'm going to have to be extra careful with any relationship Peeta and I might have together." She tells Johanna. "Oh! By the way, your Dad's having a mid life crisis and bought a Maserati."

"Okay…" Johanna doesn't even ask.

"And he's coming with us when we go to the movies next week."

"Oohh! You guys have a date?"

"Yes we do."

"This is so much more than just sex."

"Yea…we'll see." Katniss hears footsteps coming up the stairs. "I think someone's coming. I'll talk to you later." She tucks her phone under her pillow and pretends to be asleep. Fortunately, who ever came up, bypassed her room. Katniss sighs before she feels her phone buzz underneath her pillow. She smiles when she sees who it's from.

_My bed smells like you. I'm never washing these sheets again._ Katniss chuckles to herself.

_Stop being dirty. Wash them and I promise I'll make it worth your while…_

* * *

They hadn't stopped texting each other since their last time together. They had not seen each other since then. Katniss and Peeta both were too busy with school during the week and during the weekend, there was work and Katniss couldn't keep using Johanna as a cover. But tomorrow was their date to the movies and Katniss couldn't wait.

_Can't wait for our date. I want you naked on my bed. Right now._ Katniss swallowed heavily as she read the text. She was in the middle of class and now Peeta was getting her inappropriately hot.

_Are you really that confident? What makes you think I'm going to sleep with you after our date?_ She texts back with a smirk.

_What happened to you being a sure thing? ;)_ Katniss has to muffle her laugh with her hand.

_Maybe I have a better offer somewhere else…_

_Oh Katniss… you have no idea how much that hurts..,_

_I'm kidding Peeta! I hope you know that you're the only one that gets me going._

_Good. And I hope you know that I don't expect anything. I'll take whatever you give me…and if not, I still have my hand…_ Peeta sends her a picture of his hand and suddenly the whole class is looking at her strangely for being the weirdo in class that laughs for no reason. The last bell of the day rings and it finally releases them all from school for the week.

"So…are you all set for tomorrow?" Johanna sneaks up on Katniss while she's at her locker.

"Yes…I can't wait." Katniss blushes, which makes Johanna laugh and poke at Katniss playfully. Katniss leans against her locker in thought. "I haven't seen him in a while…"

"He doesn't want to come see you?"

"That's the problem." She sighs. "He wants to see me all the time but I don't want him to get in trouble…"

"Uh! Your stupid brother…" It was primarily Gale's fault she didn't want to be seen with Peeta. If it got back to him that they were "dating," Katniss wasn't sure what he would say but he wouldn't approve. There's a commotion at the other end of the hallway which gets both Katniss' and Johanna's attention. "You think it's a fight?" Johanna asks as she walks past Katniss to get a better look.

"I don't know. It's the we-" Katniss is completely caught off guard when an arm encircles her waist and a pair of lips touch hers. She has to step back and control the anger that's running through her. It's not until she's looking into a familiar set of blue eyes that her features soften and she throws her arms around him. "Peeta?"

"I missed you." He whispers before he kisses her again. She pushes him away.

"Peeta, what are you doing here? What if someone sees you?"

"Wow…uh…I try to do something spontaneous for the girl I like and…she doesn't approve…" Peeta turns his head away in disappointment. "I guess I'll just go then…" He turns to leave but Katniss pulls him back.

"Peeta, that's not what I meant…" He slowly turns to face her. Katniss gently runs her hands from his shoulders to his chest.

"Katniss…I already told you, I could care less about Gale. When it comes to you, I'm willing to risk it." Peeta places his hands over hers. "I don't want you to think that I just want you for sex. I want something with you and-" Katniss cuts him off with a kiss.

"I want this too." She honestly wasn't sure that Peeta wanted anything with her, but hearing him say that he does, it made her so happy. "Come to my birthday party."

"Really?" He asks with a smile.

"Yes. Everyone will be there and I want that to include you." He kisses her this time. Katniss chuckles into their kiss which forces them to stop. "I just don't know if we should be so _hands on_. I don't want to scare the crap out of my mom and Gale."

"Okay. Fair enough. I'll be on my best behavior." Peeta kisses her cheek. "We're still on for tomorrow, right?" Katniss nods with a smile. "Great. Can I give you a ride home?"

"Yes please!" Johanna throws an arm around Katniss.

* * *

When they finally drop off Johanna, Katniss is more than relieved. She'd been hounding Peeta to see how quickly his car could hit sixty on a residential road. Peeta laughed it off but Katniss felt like she was in the car with a child.

"I'm sorry about her." Katniss tries.

"Don't worry about it. I guess I have somebody who wants to come to the track with me." He laughs again.

"I'll go with you." She says as she reaches for the hand he has on the clutch.

"It was a joke, Katniss."

"Oh." She doesn't immediately release his hand, instead, she lays it down high on her thigh.

"Uh…" Peeta stammers as her hand guides his further between her thighs. "So…uh…you liked the little I did with my hands the last time?"

"Mhm…" Katniss absentmindedly says.

"I kind of need my hand to shift, Katniss." Katniss leans into him and kisses his cheek. She trails kisses down the side of his face. Her free hand caresses the side of Peeta's face gently.

"I'll do that." She whispers into his ear. "Just say when..." Peeta's breathing starts to get ragged and it hitches when he feels Katniss' hand push into the growing bulge in his pants.

"Katniss..."

"Did you need me to shift?" She continues her seductive whispering and torturous touches.

"Shift down..." Katniss chuckles into his ear before she does what she's told. The car comes to a stop and Peeta turns to face her.

Katniss looks at him surprised. "You're supposed to keep driving."

"Long red light." He growls at her before he pulls her in for a passionate kiss.

Katniss laughs before she pushes herself away from him. "Green light." He groans before he continues to drive. She leans into him again, this time, going right for his belt.

"Katniss?"

"Shh!" She says before she pulls his erection out from his pants.

"Katniss..." Peeta warns. He was driving stick. He couldn't afford that type of distraction.

"I've been reading up on some things...and I'm curious to see what your reaction is to them..." Peeta doesn't even get a chance to respond before her hand starts to slowly move up and down on him.

"Katniss...you don't have to do this."

"I want to. As a thank you for being so responsible..." Peeta laughs.

"What?"

"Guess what I got last week?" She kisses his cheek.

"Um...I give up."

"My period." Peeta laughs again.

"So I take it you're not pregnant?"

"Nope! And it's all because of you."

"Katniss-" His voice catches in his throat as she alternates between light grasps on his tip and a firm grasp on his shaft.

"I read that it's better if there's some…_lubrication_ of sorts…" Peeta momentarily closes his eyes before he snaps them open and tries to focus on the road.

"I…don't…have anything, Katniss." He manages. Katniss kisses his neck, then continues north to his cheek, and finally quickly licks his lips. "Katniss, no." He doesn't exactly sound very convincing, because before he knows what's happening, Katniss' mouth is surrounding his length. Peeta lets out a long kiss as her warm mouth is just so inviting. His right hand is undecided as he alternates between shifting and grasping Katniss' head as she moved up and down on him. He gets a momentary reprieve when he stops at a light. Peeta throws his head back against the headrest, his one hand tangled in her hair to steady her movements.

This is what he was talking about when he had told Katniss about not believing she was a virgin. For one, she just was so good at whatever she did. Maybe it was that same mentality that she'd always had when they were kids; keep at it and never give up because now, everything she did, had him wanting more.

Katniss moans around him which makes him let out a moan of his own. It's the sound of the car behind him honking at him that breaks him from his thoughts. Peeta's not particularly sure how much more he can take but, thankfully, Katniss releases him with an audible pop. Her hand pumping resumes and again has Peeta biting his lip to keep quiet. He dares gaze down at her momentarily, only to catch her give him a devilish smirk before her mouth was on him again.

"Katniss…" Peeta's breathing is heavy. His hand tries to find her chin to pull her away. He was about to come and he didn't want to let it happen without some kind of warning. Katniss' tongue swirls divinely around him and Peeta almost loses it right there.

At this point, they've finally arrived outside her house and Peeta quickly puts the car in park before he gently extracts her mouth from him. It's just in time too, as Peeta wraps his tip with the bottom of his shirt just before he finds his release. Peeta grips the steering wheel in front of him tightly while he tries to catch his breath.

"Any good?" Peeta turns his head to look at Katniss. He leans over to her and kisses her deeply.

"You are amazing." She chuckles while he smiles at her. "I really can't believe you just did that…"

"It was just so tempting." He looks at her with a smile. "You were just sitting there, completely helpless to what I wanted to do to you."

"Well…" Peeta can't keep the smile off his face which makes Katniss smile right back at him. "Thank you for the blow job…I owe you next time."

"I look forward to it." Katniss kisses him quickly before she leaves for her house.

She's absolutely ecstatic with herself. A successful blow job and a happy boyfriend, or whatever he was, made her very happy. The smile did not want to make it's way off her face as she entered her house.

"Hi honey! How was school?" Her mother greets.

"Great!" Katniss almost shouts.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Katniss laughs as she makes her way over to the kitchen to get something to drink.

"What's with you?" Gale, who's leaning against the kitchen island, asks.

"What?" She says with a smirk.

"That!" He points at her smile. "Why are you so happy?"

"I can't be happy now?"

"Leave your sister alone, Gale." They hear their mother yell out to them.

"Yea!" Katniss says before she sticks her tongue out at him and heads towards the living room.

"Oh no!" Gale exclaims as he follows her out. "Something's different about you…"

"It's nothing, Gale. Drop it." She says as she plops down next to her mother. Katniss throws an arm around her, still smiling.

"Mom, remember that I'm going to the movies tomorrow…"

"With who?!" Gale yells.

"With Johanna and a few other people, Gale. Cool it." Their mother warns.

"Well…can I come?" He asks which makes Katniss' eyes go wide.

"Uh…no?" Katniss looks at her brother incredulously. "Since when do you want to come and hang out with your _baby_ sister?"

"Since something's up here and you won't spill! Do you have a boyfriend?! Are you going to the movies with a boy?! Mom-" Gale tries but their mom puts up a hand to silence him.

"Gale…stop it." She turns to Katniss. "Are you going to the movies with a boy?"

"Mom!" Her mother continues to look at her, awaiting a response. "Okay, you want the truth-"

"Yes!" Gale shouts which earns him a glare from both his mother and Katniss.

"It's me, Jo, her boyfriend, and possibly Madge…so yes, technically, I'm going with a boy."

"Okay, well…you know curfew is at midnight, right?"

"Yes Mom. I'll be home before that." Her mother and Katniss exchange quick smiles before her mother returns to reading.

"Wait! That's it?! That is the biggest piece of bullshit I've ever heard!" Gale shouts.

"Language!" Their mother berates.

"Come on, Mom! You actually believe that Katniss is going to the movies with the potential of being the third wheel?!"

"Gale, what is your problem?!" Katniss yells at him. "Say I was going with a boy…" Gale glares at her. "Mom? Would you get mad?"

"Hmm, no not at all. As long as he's not some creep, but I don't have to worry about that with you. You've always been a good judge of character, not to mention, you can take care of yourself."

"See?! Mom doesn't mind! And, not that I should have to remind you but, you're not my father, so back off!"

"I'm the closest thing you have!" Gale yells.

"No, Gale! You are my brother! So that means, if Mom says it's cool, I can do whatever the hell I want! And…my birthday is in a week. I'll officially, and legally, be able to make my own damn decisions!" Katniss stands and stomps her way up the stairs to her room.

"Come back here, young lady!" Gale yells up the stairs.

"Don't call me young lady, you dick!" Katniss shouts back before she slams the door to her room.

"You're just going to let her talk to me like that?!" Gale asks his mother.

She only shrugs her shoulders. "I told you to cool it. You know how your sister is."


End file.
